Hugh Bowman rides Winx in an exhibition gallop at Royal Randwick last weekend. (AAP Image/Simon Bullard)

Horses

Unbelievable Winx shoots for Phar Lap

10th Apr 2019 6:20 PM

SEVEN-year-old mare Winx will start from barrier 9 in the 2000m Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick as she attempts to finish her career with her 33rd consecutive win, a record 25th Group 1 victory and more than $18 million in prize money.

Eight rivals will race against Winx and her regular jockey Hugh Bowman on Saturday as the pair aim to take their third Elizabeth Stakes in a row.

Should the champion mare win, it would finish her career with 37th victories and 33 in a row. A 37th victory will tie the Chris Waller-trained superstar with all-time Aussie great Phar Lap.

For punters, it's astonishingly short odds for the seven-year-old at $1.06 for her final race.

Co-owner Peter Tighe said at the draw Tuesday he was pleased with the outside barrier.

"We prefer to be wider than in close to eliminate the problems you might get early in a race, and Hugh's always been happy to be out of trouble," Tighe said.

On March 2 at Randwick, Winx set the record for most Group One wins with her 23rd, breaking the former Group One record held by retired Irish horse Hurricane Fly.

Winx has won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes the last two years and has also won the Cox Plate, Australia's weight-for-age championship, a record four times at Moonee Valley in Victoria state.

The event is now sold out with 42,000 racegoers expected to flood Randwick on race day.